Apparatus and method for storing and compacting rubbish in a differentiated manner in a refuse-collecting motor-vehicle

Abstract: A refuse-collecting motor-vehicle (4) is equipped with a body (2) internally divided into two compartments (6, 7) placed upon each other. In a charging hopper (15) formed forwardly of the body (2), provision is made for a first bottom wall (22) on which a first pusher (24) acts, which pusher is adapted to transfer to the first compartment (6) a first type of refuse (6a) emptied out from a rubbish skip (20) which is overturned over the hopper (20) by a gripping and overturning device (18). Extending above the first bottom wall (22) and the first pusher (24) is a second bottom wall (26) adapted to receive a second type of refuse (7a) emptied out from the rubbish skip (20). A second pusher (31) acts on the second bottom wall (26) to push the second refuse (7a) into the second compartment (7) formed in the body (2).

Description: The present invention relates to an apparatus for storing and compacting rubbish in a differentiated manner in a refuse-collecting motor-vehicle comprising the features recited in the preamble of claim 1. The present invention also relates to a method of storing and compacting rubbish in a differentiated manner, put into practice by said apparatus. It is known that within the problems connected with refuse disposal and in particular as far as urban refuse is concerned, it is increasingly more widely felt the necessity of rationalizing the collection of same by storing into distinct containers the different types of material, such as for example paper, plastics, glass, aluminium or others, in order to conveniently submit them to different treatments for their recycling and/or disposal. complications of logistical character and an important increase of costs brought about by said differentiated collection. In order to simplify a differentiated collection of the refuse, the use of motor-vehicles equipped with a collection body divided into two or more filling compartments designed each to receive a given type of refuse has already been proposed. More particularly, according to a first type of equipment for a differentiated collection of the rubbish two compartments are provided in the motor-vehicle body which are located side by side and interlocked each to a compacting device acting in the back area of the body. With this type of equipment the rubbish containers are required to be directly emptied out into the appropriate compacting device by one or more operators. Therefore, this type of equipment does not enable storage of the refuse into containers of big sizes and, above all, involves a great waste of manpower. According to another type of equipment, the compartments defined in the vehicle body are disposed in the forward and rear part respectively of the body itself. The two compartments are interlocked to corresponding loading devices, located at the rear and at one of the motor-vehicle sides respectively, by which the containers, previously engaged on the exact loading device by an operator, are emptied out into the corresponding compartments. It is apparent that this type of equipment involves the same problems as the one previously described resulting from the necessity for an operator to directly carry the containers. There are also equipments in which the vehicle body is divided into three compartments disposed longitudinally in side by side relation and provided each with a compacting pusher operating perpendicularly to the longitudinal extension of the body. The differente types of rubbish contained in respective containers of the bell-shaped type provided with a movable bottom are discharged by drop into the corresponding compartment after raising the container above the compartment itself, by means of a jib crane to by manually hooked to the container and driven by an operator by means of a pusb-button panel. In other embodiments two different collection compartments are defined in the vehicle body and they are placed upon each other and separated by a horizontal partition. The two compartments are connected to respective charging hoppers opening side by side into the upper part of the body. The rubbish containers are emptied out manually into two transferring tanks integral with each other that, once filled, carry out a raising and overturning movement for transferring the rubbish into the corresponding charging hoppers and, afterwards, into the body compartments. A pusher element, provided with two portions operating each at the connecting region between one of the hoppers and the corresponding collection compartment, is periodically operated to cause compaction of the rubbish within the body. According to another type of apparatus the presence of two superposed collection compartments is essentially provided. They are divided by a partition extending horizontally substantially at middle height in the body. The two compartments are connected to respective filling hoppers opening into the rear part of the body at longitudinally aligned positions. A lifting and overturning device carries out emptying of the collection bins into one of the two hoppers selectively, depending on the type of material contained therein. The engagement of the bin with the lifting and overturning device, as well as the selection of the hopper into which the material is to be discharged are executed manually by an operator. Also provided in this type of apparatus, in combination with the lifting and overturning device, is a shutter member aiming at enabling emptying of particular bins divided into two compartments each of which contains a given type of rubbish. Such a shutter member in fact lends itself to close one of the two compartments of the bin in order to prevent the rubbish from escaping therefrom when the other compartment is being emptied out of the refuse. Following a further displacement of the bin towards the second hopper, the shutter member causes opening of the second bin compartment thereby enabling the second type of rubbish to come out. The whole lifting device, as well as the compacting pushers associated with the respective hoppers, are engaged with an openable door arranged rearwardly of the body to enable discharge of the refuse from the corresponding filling compartments. The above description highlights that apparatus of this type, like all the other embodiments previously described, involve a great number of manpower to enable the containers to move close to and engage with the lifting and overturning device designed to empty the containers out into the charging hoppers. It should be also noted that, referring to emptying of bins containing two different types of rubbish separated from each other, the necessity to move the whole bin from one hopper to the other greatly increases the time necessary for completing the bin emptying cycle. The German patent DE-A-35 37 546, which is herein referred as the most pertinent state of the art, discloses a rubbish storing and compacting apparatus in which three superposed collection compartments are defined in the collection body of the vehicle. Such superposed collection compartments open, respectively at different levels, in a charging hopper located forwardly of the vehicle body and provided with loading means operable for emptying a rubbish skip or bin in the hopper. The collection compartments are provided respectively with first, second and third closing and compaction means each of which is substantially constituted by a wedge-shaped pusher. Each pusher is movable between a first position in which it exhibits an inclined surface extending throught the whole section of the charging hopper for guiding towards the respective compartment the refuse poured from the bin, and a second position in which the pusher is totally introduced in the respective compartment for thrusting the refuse in this latter. In the second position, each pusher closes the access opening of the respective compartment and is cleared off from the hopper in order to allow a different refuse, which is powered from the bin, to reach the pusher beneath, previously located in its respective first position. Such a kind of apparatus requires a large charging hopper as well as large and heavy pushers in order to assure that all the refuse poured from the bin be completely transferred in the respective compartment by a single stroke of the corresponding pusher towards the second position. Otherwise, the refuse not entering the compartment with the first stroke of the pusher will fall irremediably on the bottom of the hopper. Another drawback encountered in the known art, above all with reference to the solutions in which two superposed compartments are provided, is given by the fact that storage of the rubbish in the upper compartment of the vehicle body gives rise to an undesired elevation of the centre of gravity of the latter, and therefore of all the vehicle, under all situations in which the upper compartment is partly or completely filled without the lower compartment being completely filled. It is also pointed out that none of the apparatus suggested by the known art offers the facility of selectively modifying the capacity of the individual compartments depending on the amount of the refuse actually collected in either compartment. The present invention substantially aims at solving the problems of the known art and, in particular, proposing a new apparatus capable of picking up and emptying out the rubbish bins in a completely automatic manner, with the possibility of addressing two different types of refuse to corresponding compartments in the vehicle body, without the compartment selection in which the refuse is to be sent involving a further movement of the the bill overturned over the charging hopper. In particular, in one aspect the invention relates to an apparatus for storing and compacting rubbish in a differentiated manner in a refuse-collecting motor-vehicle, characterized in that said charging hopper exhibits a first bottom wall which is fixed and on which the first compaction means operates in order to transfer the first refuse to the first filling compartment, through said first access opening, and a second bottom wall which is selectively movable between a closed position at which it extends over the first fixed bottom wall and the first compaction means acting by an abutment edge thereof against a lower edge of said second access opening, and an open position at which it is retracted from said lower edge to enable passage of the first refuse towards the first bottom wall, said second compaction means operating on the second bottom wall in the closed position to push the second refuse into the second filling compartment. In a second aspect the invention relates to a method of storing and compacting rubbish in a differentiated manner in a refuse-collecting motor-vehicle comprising the steps of emptying out a first type of refuse into a charging hopper exhibiting a first fixed bottom wall onto which the first refuse falls; transferring the first refuse to a first filling compartment communicating with the charging hopper at the height of the first bottom wall; extending a second bottom wall which is horizontally movable over the first bottom wall untill an abutment edge of said second bottom wall abuts against a lower edge of said second access opening; emptying out a second type of refuse onto said second bottom wall; transferring the second refuse to a second filling compartment communicating with the charging hopper at the height of the second bottom wall; withdrawing the second bottom wall. Further features and advantages will be more fully understood from the detailed description of a preferred embodiment of an apparatus for storing and compacting rubbish in a differentiated manner in refuse-collecting motor-vehicles, as well as a storage and compaction method put into practice by said apparatus, according to the present invention. This description is given hereinafter by way of non-limiting example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is a rear perspective view of a motor-vehicle equipped with an apparatus in accordance with the invention exhibiting a hatchback door and auxiliary doors in the open condition; Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic side view of the motor-vehicle shown in Fig. 1 in an operating step in which a first type of refuse is unloaded into a charging hopper formed forwardly of the body; Fig. 3 is a cross section executed along line III-III in Fig. 2; fig. 4 is diagrammatic side view of an operating step in which the first refuse is pushed into a first filling compartment formed in the body; Fig. 5 is a side view of the motor-vehicle in an operating step in which a second type of refuse is unloaded into a charging hopper; Fig. 6 is a cross-section executed along line VI-VI in Fig. 5; Fig. 7 laterally shows a step in which the second refuse is pushed into the second filling compartment of the body; Fig. 8 laterally shows the motor-vehicle in an operating condition in which a first auxiliary door has been openend after filling of the first filling compartment of the body; Fig. 9 is a side view of the motor-vehicle showing an operating step in which a second auxiliary door has been opened after filling of the second filling compartment; Fig. 10 shows the motor-vehicle during unloading of the first refuse contained in the first collection compartment; Fig. 11 shows the motor-vehicle during unloading of the second refuse contained in the second collection compartment. Referring to the drawings, an apparatus for storing and compacting rubbish in a differentiated manner in a refuse-collecting vehicle according to the present invention has been generally identified by reference numeral 1. Apparatus 1 comprises a collection body 2 mounted, in a manner known per se, to a chassis 3 so as to form a motor-vehicle 4 conveniently equipped for refuse collection. Longitudinally extending in the body 2 is a partition 5 defining within the body itself a first and a second filling compartment, 6 and 7, placed consecutively upon each other and designed to receive a first and a second type of refuse 6a, 7a different from each other, as better clarified in the following. In an original manner, the partition 5 exhibits two end portions 8 (see Fig. 1) extending from corresponding side walls of the body 2 and converging at the inside of same, one central portion 9 extending at a lowered position relative to the end portions 8, as well as a pair of substantially vertical connecting portions 10 extending each between the central portion 9 and one of the end portions 8. Such a configuration of the partition causes the first and second filling compartments 6 and 7, to respectively have, seen in saction, a "U" and "T" profiles which are complementary, said compartments preferably being of same capacity. Under this situation, the centre of gravity of the body 2 and therefore the motor-vehicle 4 as a whole, is conveniently limited in height even in the case in which the second compartment 7 were partly or completely filled with the refuse 7a before filling of the first compartment 6 has occurred. The body 2 is provided at the back with a closure hatchback door 11 such shaped that it internally defines an auxiliary housing space 12 lending itself to advantage to be selectively connected to the first or the second filling compartment, 6 and 7 respectively, for receiving said first and second refuse 6a, 7a, respectively. In the connection, it is also provided that a first and a second auxiliary door, 13, 14 be respectively arranged at the rear ends of the first and second filling compartments 6, 7, said auxiliary doors being selectively openable independently of each other upon command of respective fluid-operated actuators, not shown as feasible in a manner known per se and conventional. Forwardly of the body 2 a charging hopper 15 is formed. In accordance with the present invention it communicates with both filling compartments 6, 7, through a first and a second access openings 16, 17 placed consecutively upon each other and formed in a back wall 15a of the hopper itself. Preferably, the second access opening 17 can be closed by a vertical partition 17b (only shown in Figs. 2 and 7), vertically movable along the rear wall 15a of the hopper 15, upon command of a respective movement actuator 17c. The vertical partition 17b has the function of preventing the second refuse 7a from coming back from the second compartment 7 to the hopper 15, during the motor-vehicle 4 running. Operating close to the filling hopper 15 is loading means preferably comprising a gripping and raising device 18 mounted sideways relative to the vehicle 4 and arranged to operatively engage, by a pair of movable arms 19, a rubbish collection skip or bin 20 which may be of the type usually located on public areas for refuse dumping. In a manner known per se, the gripping and raising device 18 operatively engages the bin 20 and raises it from the ground causing overturning of same over the charging hopper 15. Concurrently with this overturning, opening of a cover 21 currently associated with the bin occurs, so that the refuse or rubbish 6a, 7a falls into the hopper 15. The gripping and raising device 18 is not further described since it can be made in different ways known per se and conventional. For example, raising devices of the type described in the Italian Patent No. 1194971 may be used, as well as those described in the European Patent Application No. 94830515.6. It is pointed out, however that, since the apparatus in question is conceived for operation even on bins 20 divided into a first and a second housing space 20a, 20b containing the first and second refuse 6a, 7a, respectively, unlocking means are associated with one or both of the arms 19 and they are ready to act on the bin 20 when in the overturned position for causing, at the right moment, opening of an auxiliary cover 21a adapted to retain the second refuse 7a in the second housing space 20b while the first housing space 20a is being emptied out. For example, such unlocking means may consist of one or more fluid-operated actuators 19a acting on a bolt mechanism or similar closure means provided on the bin 20 to keep the auxiliary cover 21a to the closed position. According to the present invention, the hopper 15 exhibits a first bottom wall 22 which is fixed and extends in a continuity relationship with the body 2 bottom, for example. Acting on the first bottom wall 22 is first compaction means 23 adapted to cause transferring of the first refuse 6a to the first filling compartment 6 through said access opening 16. The first compaction means 23 essentially comprises a first pusher 24 reciprocated, upon command of at least one fluid-operated cylinder 25, in a direction parallel to the longitudinal extension of the body 2, between a thrust position in which, as shown in Fig. 4, it exhibits a work surface facing the inside of the body 2 through the first opening 16, and a rest position in which, as shown in Fig. 2, it is retracted from said opening to enable access of the first refuse 6a to the first bottom wall 22. The first compaction means 23 is not further described in that it is made in a manner known per se, based on the description in the Italian Patent No. 1180333 for example. Arranged uppermost relative to the first bottom wall 22 and the first compaction means 23 is a second bottom wall 26 which is selectively movable between a closing position in which, as shown in Fig. 5, it extends horizontally over the first bottom wall and compaction means, acting by an abutment edge 26a against a lower edge 17a of the second access opening 17, and an opening position in which, as shown in Fig. 2, it is retracted from said lower edge 17a to enable passage of the first refuse 6a towards the first bottom wall 22. More particularly, as clearly shown in the accompanying drawings, the second bottom wall 26 is preferably defined by at least one element of the rolling-gate type comprised of a plurality of closing sectors 27 hinged one after the other according to pivot axes perpendicular to the longitudinal extension of the vehicle body 2. The rolling-gate element 26 is slidably guided along a pair of guide elements 28, only one of which is shown in the accompanying drawings, integral with the hopper 5. Preferably, each guide element 28 exhibits a portion of horizontal extension 28a extending within the hopper 15, parallelly to the longitudinal extension of the body 2, to receive the second bottom wall 26 in the closing position, as well as a substantially vertical portion 28b connected to the horizontal portion 28a by a curved connecting portion 28c. Advantageously the vertical 28b and connection 28c portions extend externally of the hopper 15, between the body 2 and the driver's cab 4a of the motor-vehicle 4 to receive, at least partly, the second bottom wall 26 in the opening position. The movement of the second bottom wall 26 between the opening position and closing position can be obtained for example by at least a drive actuator 29 that, for the safe of clarity, has been shown in Figs. 2 and 5 only. Combined with the second bottom wall 26 is second compaction means 30 substantially made in the same manner as the first compaction means 23. The second compaction means 30 therefore comprises a respective second pusher 31 operated by at least one second fluid-operated cylinder 32 and moving on the second bottom wall 26 arranged in the closing position, to push the second refuse 7a through the second access opening 17. Since the first and second compaction means also in the rest position are contained within the hopper 15, provision is made for one or more conveying plates 33 having a slanting extension and adapted to convey the refuse 6a, 7a onto the respective bottom walls 22, 26, so that part of the refuse will not be permanently deposited on the pushers 24, 31. Advantageously, one or more fluid-operated actuators 33a (Figs. 5 and 7) or other equivalent actuator means may be associated with said conveying plates 33, for imparting a vibratory motion to said plates in order to facilitate falling of the refuse 6a, 7a possibly deposited thereon, thereby avoiding possible undesired mixing between the two types of collected refuse, due to temporary stopping of same on the conveying plates themselves. The apparatus 1 is also comprised of ejection means generally identified by 34, associated with the body 2 for selectively ejecting the first and second refuse 6a, 7a from the respective filling compartments 6,7 after opening of the hatchback door 11. In the embodiment shown, the ejection means 34 comprises a first and a second ejection plate 35, 36 slidably guided along the first and second filling compartments 6 and 7 respectively, and the shape of which matches that of the profile in cross-section of the compartments themselves. Upon command of respective pusher cylinders 35a, 36a, the ejection plates 35, 36 are movable independently of each other towards the hatchback door 11 starting from a rest position in which they define the back wall 15a of the charging hopper 15. In this case, said access openings 16, 17 are formed directly in the first and second ejection plates 35, 36 and the pushers 24, 31 are slidably engaged in a first and a second guide frame 37, 38, respectively, which are integral with the first and second ejection plates 35, 36. The fluid-operated cylinders 25, 32 act between the respective pushers 24, 35 and the guide frames 37, 38. In this way, the first and second compaction means 23, 30 are moved along the body 2 as a result of the movement of the respective ejection plates 35, 36. It is to be noted that the ejection means 34 can be made in a different manner from the one previously described. A possible solution could be that of giving the pushers 24, 31 an additional work stroke extending until close to the rear end of the respective filling compartments 6, 7 so that they are entrusted with the function of ejecting the refuse 6a, 7a according to the description of the Italian Patent No. 1233052. After the above description, the operating cycle of the apparatus of the invention is as follows. At the beginning of the operating cycle, the pushers 24, 31 and ejection plates 35, 36, as well as the gripping and raising device 18 are located at the respective rest positions, and the rolling-gate member forming the second closing wall 26 is in the opening condition. The vertical partition 17b is in the closing position, as shown in Fig. 2. After the motor-vehicle 4 has stopped alongside the rubbish skip 20 to be emptied, the gripping and raising device 18 is operated so that the skip is overturned over the charging hopper 15. Under this situation, the first refuse 6a is emptied out into the hopper 15 and falls onto the first bottom wall 22, as clearly viewed from Figs. 2 and 3. Immediately after falling of the first refuse, shifting of the first pusher 24 towards the thrust position is operated, so that the refuse is transferred to the first collection compartment 6, through the first access opening 16 (Fig. 4). Depending on the quantity of the first refuse 6a emptied out from the skip 20, one or more strokes of the first pusher 24 may be required for transferring of the first refuse. Advantageously, even if the first refuse 6a has not been completely transferred into the respective collection compartment 6, the second bottom wall 26 is extended to its closing condition as soon as the height of the heap made up of the first refuse on the first bottom wall 22 has reached a level lower than that of the second bottom wall. When shifting of the second bottom wall 26 to the closing position has been completed, the correctness of which can be confirmed by microswitches or equivalent sensor means disposed along the abutment edge 26a, intervention of the unlocking actuators 19a disposed on the movable arms 19 is caused, in order to produce opening of the auxiliary cover 21a of the skip 20 which will bring about emptying out of the second refuse 7b onto the second bottom wall 26 (Figs. 5 and 6). Then the vertical partition 17b is openend and, subsequently, the second pusher 31 is moved to the corresponding thrust position in order to transfer the second refuse 7a to the second collection compartment 7 of the body 2 (Fig. 7). Concurrently with operation of the second pusher 31, the movable arms 19 of the gripping and raising device 18 put the emptied skip 20 down on the ground again and take their rest position again. Thus the motor-vehicle 4 can be started again even if the first and second refuse 6a, 7a are still being transferred into the respective filling compartments 6, 7 upon the action of the pushers 24, 31 driven in a reciprocating motion. Obviously, in the absence of skips 20 of the type provided with two housing spaces 20a, 20b, empying out of the first and second refuse 6a, 7a will be at all events effected in two separate steps, each involving raising and laying down to the ground of the corresponding skip. Operating along the hydraulic feed circuit of the fluid-operated cylinders 25, 32 are pressure sensors that, in a manner known per se, lend themselves to signal the occurred filling of the corresponding compartment 6, 7. When one of said compartments 6, 7 is filled, opening of the corresponding auxiliary door 13, 14 is operated so that the auxiliary housing space 12 defined internally of the hatchback door 11 can be utilized for either refuse, depending on the occasion. For clarity purposes, Fig. 8 diagrammatically shows the use of the auxiliary housing space 12 for containing the first refuse 6a, following opening of the first auxiliary door 13. Fig. 9, in turn, shows a different operating situation in which the auxiliary housing space 12 is addressed to holding of the second refuse 7a, following opening of the second auxiliary door 14. It is therefore apparent that the presence of the auxiliary housing space 12 in combination with the first and second auxiliary doors 13, 14 enables the internal capacity of the body 2 to be optimized depending on requirements, without being necessary to know from the beginning of the workshift which of the first and second refuse 6a, 7a is going to be collected to a greater amount. Unloading of the refuse 6a, 7a from the motor-vehicle body 2 first involves opening of the hatchback door 11. Following this operation, the first refuse 6a, or alternatively the second refuse 7a contained in the auxiliary housing space 12 is discharged to the ground. Then ejection of the refuse contained in the filling compartment previously connected to the auxiliary housing space 12 is carried out through opening of the corresponding auxiliary door 13, 14. In the example shown in Figs. 10 and 11, first ejection of the first refuse 6a is provided. To this end, shifting of the first ejection plate 35 towards the rear wall of body 2 is operated, during this step the second pusher 24 being maintainted in a thrust position, so as to avoid the refuse itself to undesirably escape through the access opening 16. Subsequently, after opening of the second auxiliary door 14, the second refuse 7a is discharged by movement of the second ejection plate 36 in the same manner as above described. The invention achieves the intended purposes. In fact the apparatus in question provides the possibility of utilizing a single hopper for loading both the first and second refuse 6a, 7a, thereby enabling an important reduction in time for completing the operating cycle involving emptying out of the rubbish skip 20, above all with reference to the use of skips provided with two housing spaces 20a, 20b, each filled with one type of refuse which is different and maintained separated from the other. In the known art, for emptying out this type of skip all additional displacement of said skip is required for enabling the second refuse to be discharged, whereas the present invention allows the first and second refuse to be discharged quickly one after the other without involving additional displacements of the skip. In addition, as already widely discussed, the apparatus of the invention, by virtue of the particular configuration of the partition 5 enables weights to be evenly distributed within the body 2, and by the selective opening of the auxiliary doors 13, 14 enables the internal capacity of the body itself to be modified depending on the amount of the refuse to be stored.

Claims: An apparatus for storing and compacting rubbish in a differentiated manner in a refuse-collecting motor-vehicle comprising: a chassis (3) which uppermost carries a collection body (2) provided with a hatchback door at the rear part thereof; a partition (5) extending lengthwise in the vehicle body (2) to define therein a first and a second filling compartment (6, 7) placed consecutively upon each other; at least one charging hopper (15) located forwardly of the vehicle body (2), and communicating with both compartments (6, 7) thereof through first and second access openings (16, 17) formed, at consecutively superposed positions, in a rear wall (15a) of the hopper (15); loading means (18) to be operatively engaged with a rubbish skip (20) or bin for raising said bin from ground and emptying it out into the charging hopper (15); first compaction means (23) for pushing a first type of refuse (6a) emptied out from the bin (20) into a first filling compartment (6); second compaction means (30) for pushing a second type of refuse (7a) emptied out from the bin (20) into the second filling compartment (7); ejection means (34) for selectively ejecting the first and second refuse (6a, 7a) from the vehicle body (2) after opening of the hatchback door (11), characterized in that: said hopper exhibits a first bottom wall (22) which is fixed and on which the first compaction means (23) operates in order to transfer the first refuse (6a) to the first filling coimpartment (6) through said first access opening (16), and a second bottom wall (26) which is selectively movable between a closed position at which it extends over the first fixed bottom wall (22) and the first compaction means (23) and acts by an abutment edge (26a) thereof against a lower edge (17a) of said second access opening (17), and an open position at which it is retracted from said lower edge (17a) to enable passage of the first refuse (6a) towards the first bottom wall (22), said second compaction means (30) operating on the second bottom wall (26) in the closed position to push the second refuse (7a) into the second filling compartment (7). An apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that said second bottom wall (26) is essentially defined by at least one element of the rolling-gate type consisting of a plurality of closing sectors hinged one after the other, said rolling-gate element being slidably guided along a pair of guide elements (28) integral with the hopper. An apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that it further comprises at least one vertical partition (17b) movable along said rear wall (15a) to selectively close and open the second access opening (17). An apparatus according to claim 2, characterized in that each of said guide elements (28) exhibits a portion of horizontal extension (28a) extending within the hopper (15) to receive the second bottom wall (26) in the closing position, as well as a substantially vertical portion (28b) connected to said horizontal portion (28a) by a curved connecting portion (28c), said vertical and connecting portions (28b and 28c) extending externally of the hopper (15) to receive the second bottom wall (26) in the opening position. An apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that said partition (5) exhibits two end portions (8) extending from corresponding side walls of the body (2) towards the inside of same, one central portion (9) extending at a lowered position relative to said end portions (8), and a pair of connecting portions (10) extending each between the central portion (9) and one of the end portions (8). An apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that each of said first and second compaction means (23, 30) comprises at least one pusher (24, 31) driven in a reciprocating motion in a direction parallel to the longitudinal extension of the body (2), between a thrust position in which it exhibits a work surface facing the inside of the body (2) through the respective first and second access openings (16, 17) and a rest position in which it is retracted from the corresponding opening (16, 17) to enable access of the refuse (6a, 7a) towards the corresponding bottom wall (22, 26). An apparatus according to claim 6, characterized in that said ejection means (34) comprises a first and a second ejection plate (35, 36) the shape of each of them matching that of the profile in cross-section of the corresponding filling compartment (6, 7), said ejection plates (35, 36) being selectively movable towards said hatchback door (11) starting from a rest position in which they define the rear wall of the hopper (15). An apparatus according to claim 7, characterized in that said first and second pushers (24, 31) are slidably engaged with a first and a second guide frame (37, 38) respectively, which are respectively integral with the first and second ejection plates (35, 36), each of said pushers (24, 31) being operated, when moving from the thrust position to the rest position, by at least one fluid-operated cylinder (25, 32) acting between the pusher itself and the corresponding guide frame (37, 38). An apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that an auxiliary housing space (12) is defined in said hatchback door (11), said space being designed to selectively receive said first and second refuse (6a, 7a). An apparatus according to claim 9, characterized in that it further comprises a first and a second auxiliary door (13, 14) arranged at the rear ends of said first and second filling compartments (6, 7), said first and second auxiliary doors (13, 14) being openable independently of each other to selectively open access of the first and second refuse (6a, 7a) to the auxiliary housing space (12) of the hatchback door (11). An apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the charging hopper (15) internally exhibits at least one conveying plate (33) having a slanting extension, on which actuator means (33a) acts to impart a vibratory motion to the plate itself in order to facilitate falling of the refuse (6a, 7a) deposited thereon. An apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that said loading means comprises a gripping and raising device (18) mounted sideways relative to said vehicle (4) close to the charging hopper (15) and designed to automatically engage said rubbish skip (20) by a pair of movable arms (19). An apparatus according to claim 12, characterized in that an unlocking actuator (19a) is mounted on at least one of said movable arms (19), which actuator is designed to act on an unlocking mechanism arranged on the rubbish skip (20) to cause opening of an auxiliary cover (21a) adapted to retain the second refuse (7a) in the corresponding housing space of the skip while the first refuse (6a) is being emptied out. A method of storing and compacting rubbish in a differentiated manner in a refuse-collecting motor-vehicle comprising the steps of: emptying out a first type of refuse (6a) into a charging hopper (15) exhibiting a first fixed bottom wall (22) onto which the first refuse falls; transferring the first refuse (6a) to a first filling compartment (6) communicating with the charging hopper (15) at the height of the first bottom wall (22); extending a second bottom wall (26) which is horizontally movable over the first bottom wall (22) until an abutment edge (26a) of said second bottom wall (26) abuts against a lower edge (17a) of said second access opening (17); emptying out a second type of refuse (7a) onto said second bottom wall (26); transferring the second refuse (7a) to a second filling compartment (7) communicating with the charging hopper (15) at the height of the second bottom wall (26); withdrawing the second bottom wall (26). A method according to claim 14, characterized in that it comprises the step of putting one of said filling compartments (6, 7) into communication with an auxiliary housing space (12) when the filling compartment itself is filled with the corresponding refuse (6a, 7a).

Inventors: BRAGADINA GIOVANNI, BRAGADINA, GIOVANNI
Applicants: OMB BRESCIA SRL, O.M.B. BRESCIA S.R.L.
Application year: 1994
Main classification: B65F3
IPC codes: B65F3